It’s Friday and you know what that means…we make a point to showcase all the beauty Mother Nature freely provides us…when we look around. As always, we join our ‘fur-iends’ Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard in sharing what we’ve observed. Like much of the country we’ve managed to receive frequent rain showers. Just as the garden was bursting forth with color galore, a quick hail storm threatened to put the kibosh on the beauty, but we actually managed to dodge the bullet unlike that monster that hit us a couple of years ago. But enough about the weather (can’t change it anyway, right?) so let’s get right to the beautiful and fascinating sights from this week.
Appreciating nature in my ‘hood only requires a quick walk and when you’re out and about a few times a day with a couple of knuckleheads, that’s extra easy. Walking with the dogs, seeing what interests their snouts provides me with observing things too many people miss because they have their noses stuck in a little screen. It’s still astounding that people think they’re walking their dog, but are actually tethered to a small screen. They neglect to see the beauty (or dangers) surrounding us. What’s an observer of life to do? Relish what IS seen!
I had to make a few extra trips to the post office and library this week and walking to each location allows me to see stuff I wouldn’t if I drove. Like this dragonfly that landed next to the sidewalk. I nearly missed him. Those transparent wings nearly made him invisible but for his body being a bright green.
Speaking of pollinators, check out this gorgeous Swallowtail butterfly that flew right past me. I gasped and worried he might take off before I could pull out my phone and contort myself near enough to capture him in this rose bush. Such a showy dude!
Walking offers a terrific way to see some other garden friends, the bees. Whenever I come across purple or blue flowers, I know there’ll be somebody in there either drinking the nectar or scooping up pollen.
Tucked into a corner of a pie shaped sliver of a garden on the way to the library, I came across a beautiful little oasis complete with mini Stonehenge water feature.
This garden contains lovely flowers including this lovely rose and Heuchera (Coral Bells) where one can stop and meditate for a few moments while the sky grew moody, suggesting a storm. It was just too lovely not to linger, even if I did get wet.
Smiling inside and out as I left this beautiful area, lo and behold another beauty screamed out at me. Ice plants are very common around here but I’d never seen this color combination before. It was definitely worth the wait!
Arriving back home after my wanderings and being contemplative after seeing such beautiful sights, I stopped and took in my own front garden. It gave me yet another opportunity to savor everything Mother Nature offered this week.
As I walked up the front walk, I began to notice the jungle, otherwise known as an arm-shredding rose bush near the front door. I had been planning to move it but the weather didn’t cooperate and I feared transplanting it after the late snow storms might kill it. Now it’s spread like a virus and is covered in buds (along with those prickly thorns). But now, it has the first delicate blooms.
Have you taken time to appreciate Mother Nature this week? I sure hope so. Enjoy the weekend and don’t forget to “stop and smell the roses” along your way.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
I got distracted by your link to the hail post, and it reminded me of when I was out your way on a family vacation 23 (Twenty three!?!?) years ago this week. We stayed in Denver, but my Mom’s fascination was with Co. Springs (where she and my Dad lived while he was stationed there), so we spent a lot of the week driving back and forth on I-25. Anyway…. somewhere in one of the areas, we passed by a section of road that looked it had snow piled up along the side. We actually stopped and I had to get out and touch it to realize it was HAIL! We get hailstorms here on occasion, but never ones that pile up like that… so it was a real weird experience. Plus, I don’t know how we missed the storm that had obviously dropped it!
Consider yourself lucky. There is nothing so terrifying as to be inside a vehicle during a hail storm that requires a snowplow to clear the road!
Pawtacular post!
Fortunately, huMom loves to walk & we are privileged to see so much that those zooming by in cars, ATVs & other motorized vehicles 🚗 don’t.
Thanks for sharing your wooftastic view🐾
💜nose nudges💜
Wow, your whole front yard is a beautiful garden! Ours is weeds, LOL. When Lexi and I used to go out on “her” boat, dragonflies often came to visit.
Boats and dragonflies…what’s not to love about that combo?!
Don’t forget Lexi in the mix. I sold the boat after she was gone…
But of course. That goes without saying. ❤️
Wow. Incredible pictures of gorgeous creatures!
Thank you! I rarely see Swallowtails so I was determined to capture a photo of it if at all possible.
Amazing pictures of some gorgeous creatures!
Your photos had me and Mom in awe! Everything is just so beautiful and your garden is just amazing! You are right, people need to appreciate nature more and go for more walks. That dragonfly is truly beautiful and so is the swallowtail. Mom loves seeing them but they are always very fast. She says she feels lucky when she can take photos of just one of them. 😀
Thanks for sharing the awesome beauty of nature around you with us. Sam and Elsa are so lucky to have you as a mom. 😀
Lots of hugs and wet kisses for them. 😘💕
Thanks, Rambo. Considering all those images were from my phone, I think they’re not too bad.
I think they are just awesome and Mom says the same. We’ve seen lots of phone photos that looks awesome. She always says we must make the best with what we have. 😀
The photography in this post is exquisite! Way to go! I love your Swallowtail. Believe it or not, I saw one up here today 🙂 He must have gotten blown up and over the mountain – they usually don’t get here until later.
We didn’t dodge the hail storm. We just bought our first “new to us” car in 22 years – and it got clobbered by the hail 🙁 Ah well, from new to old-looking in a single day!
I’ve never seen the “Ice Plant” – Wow, they are glorious looking!!!!!
Ugh…so sorry about the hail damage. The frequency of these storms seems to be increasing which is more than troublesome. Thanks for the kind words about the images. Considering they are all from my cell phone, they aren’t too bad. Happy weekend!
Wow! Those are incredible photos. The purple and orange flowers are my favorites.
Aren’t they something? So incredibly colorful!
Oh such beautiful blooms!!! Butts, that Dragonfly is PAWSOME! We gets them in the summer around here and they are like fighter jets that buzz right past you, they always startle Ma just a little ☺
Have a pawsome weekend guys!
Kisses,
Ruby ♥
They sure know how to dive-bomb peeps, that’s for sure. My eyes often can’t keep up with them with all their amazing maneuvers.
Mini Stonehenge? Even the gods had to take a leak sometime.
Your flowers are just beautiful! We haven’t seen any butterflies or dragonflies yet.
It was lucky I found those guys. Haven’t seen too many flyers critters yet either.
Take the time to look, one’s eyes will deliver. Cheers to those colorful flowers!
Thanks. You hit the nail squarely on the head.
Lovely walk. I love those purple flowers especially- my favorite color!
Yes! Purple plants are always striking in my mind too. Have a great weekend.
Just beautiful! I love summer!
It sure is a welcomed season around these parts.
Wow!! I smiled from the beginning to the end of your post today…so much happy, shiny color!!
Thanks. I had the same reaction when I read yours!
Monika, The pictues are absolutely breathtaking. From the little bee to all the gems in your garden. That is pile of weeding. Thanks for a lovely glimpse into your world.
Jean
Thanks. Actually ground covers and perennials keep the weeding to a minimum and certainly far less than turf grass. I love walking through the garden and always find something to captivate my senses. Can’t wait for the peonies-my favorite perennial. 💗
Beautiful photos dear.
you’re yard is so pretty
the dragonfly is amazing!
Thanks. The rain has really made things look lush. Wasn’t that dragonfly amazing. I came so close to stepping on it and was so glad to have stopped mid-step.
You sure found some lovely flowers on your walk. We just love your front yard.
Why thanks, Millie and Walter. We like it much better than plain grass. 😊
we have the twin of your rose bush… but he prefers to ruin legs LOL thanks for the bveautiful flowers now I know the name of the thingy what grows in a pot here…a heuchera …
I have to practically wear a hazmat suit around that climbing rose unless I’m willing to donate blood. I don’t even like pruning it because it’s so dangerous.
We love Heucheras though I almost always call them Coral Bells-it’s a whole lot easier! 😊 Have a super Wiem Weekend!
good idea… I always wear special gloves up to my elbow… but then I end with bloody legs …
I wear garden gloves too but sometimes those thorns puncture them. WTH?
A beautiful series of photos, but the ice plant–orange and magenta–was just incredible. Who but nature would pair these colors?
No kidding! I see various shades of pink and yellow, but that orange and purple…all kinds of wow!
Ever so beautiful! 🙂
Have an wonderful weekend,
Pit
Thanks. Enjoy your Texas weekend!
Those are such stunning Nature Friday images today. It’s so important to treasure our pollinators!
Without pollinators, our gardens would be pretty dull and unimpressive.
I always love seeing your Nature Friday posts – the different flowers and different colors always brighten my day! You have such lovely flowers to show us!
Happy Friday and Weekend!!
Thanks. There’s always something interesting to see when you take time to look around instead of checking your Instagram feed. {that snark is meant for the hipsters in my ‘hood}
The garden has rushed back into life with the start of the rainy season…so glad to see plants I feared had died have recovered! All I have to do now is to keep the leaf cutter ants at bay…
That was a lovely series of photographs.
Thanks Helen. It’s always quite amazing to see what a rain shower can do for the garden. Good luck with your ants. I’ve hear those cutter ants are particularly voracious.
They can strip a tree in a night.
On our first visit to Costa rica the guidboook informed us that if we were very lucky we might see leafcutter ants. We did, the next day. Our host’s gardener was pouring diesel into a nest of them. We quickly learned why…
Good lord! I had no idea they were that quick about their shredding.
Lightning fast…you have to go out with a torch at night to find the little so and sos in order to follow them totheir nest which can be a long long way away…
Ugh…you’d think something beyond diesel (or other chemicals) could keep them at bay. Guess when you have a jungle as your playground you’re gonna have wretches like that.
I use a product which destroys the mush they live on….but those nests are huge and no fun to track down after dark on uneven ground!
I can imagine. No one wants to fall down in the dark!
Love the little nature walk you took us on! So cool about the dragonfly and so glad your rose survived the storm! LOL at your mini Stonehenge 🙂
Happy weekend to you and I am getting ready to go outside now!
Enjoy your outing! Feel free to join our little meanderings any ole time. 😉
Thanks and always glad to join your meanderings. 🙂
And we love the company.
☺️
So beautiful flowers the last one is amazing.
Thanks, I was so taken with it myself. The blooms are small, maybe a little over an inch wide and the petals often only last a few days, but as long as they’re blooming, I’ll be checking ’em out. Happy weekend!
Same to you!
🥰
oh my!! ALL of your photos are gorgeous! That butterfly and I love all of the flowers by your home!
Many thanks, Dakota. They turned out pretty nicely for being shot with just a cell phone. 💖
Oh my, that was a monster storm. Yikes. I would have been heartbroken.
Love all the critters you captured. Beautiful.
Have a fabulous day and weekend. ♥
It was brutal but the garden bounced back much quicker than I would have thought possible. Enjoy your weekend!